Dallas — How'd you like to see a play about a greedy, obsessive/compulsive rodent?
Don't be too quick to decline. The Dallas Children's Theater production of If You Give a Mouse a Cookie is a charming little romp that showcases skillful and energetic acting.
What occurs when you give a mouse a cookie is that the covetous little beastie wants a bunch of other stuff: a glass of milk, a straw, a napkin, et cetera. Thank heaven human aren't like that.
This comedy, based on a popular children's book by Laura Numeroff, was first staged by DCT seven years ago, and it was a huge hit. This time, director Nancy Schaeffer ices the cake by sending her mouse portrayer to circus school. Actor Karl Schaeffer studied with Fanny Kerwich of the Lone Star Circus. The result is a boisterously physical event, involving acrobatics and even a bit of aerial stunting. Director Schaeffer also works juggling into the mix, with Scott Zenreich joining actor Schaeffer.
Zenreich plays a boy alone at home while his mother runs errands. The mouse interrupts the boy's cookie munching to request a treat of his own, and the comedy escalates. Interestingly, the mousie is not thoroughly adorable. At times, he's a royal pain. But Schaeffer's manic portrayal forbids you to dislike him.
One particularly rewarding sequence finds Schaeffer acting out an adventure story read by Zenreich.
Designer Randel Wright's kitchen set and Beck Schlabach's props are rendered in small animal perspective, à la the musical Cats. Doorways are imposing and slanted, the refrigerator a looming monolith. Sipping milk from a straw is a major chore, and an encounter with Scotch Tape is applause-worthy.
There's even a tip of the hat to mime, as Karl Schaeffer and Anthony Schaeffer revive the classic "mirror routine."
Zenreich, meanwhile, is no passive straight man. His droll reactions and asides are in sharp (at times welcome) contrast to Schaeffer's cavorting.
This play is one entry in what is known in DCT circles as the "If You Give Series." Previous staging were taken from author Numeroff's If You Give a Moose a Muffin and If you Give a Pig a Party.
How long will it be before somebody takes the theme into the PG-rated arena? The title, If You Give a Senator a Bribe, springs to mind. 
